diff --git a/installers/windows/bambuddy.ico b/installers/windows/bambuddy.ico
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..93f2dc013
Binary files /dev/null and b/installers/windows/bambuddy.ico differ
diff --git a/installers/windows/bambuddy.iss b/installers/windows/bambuddy.iss
index 9fd74f6c6..140d22c2a 100644
--- a/installers/windows/bambuddy.iss
+++ b/installers/windows/bambuddy.iss
@@ -49,8 +49,12 @@ ArchitecturesInstallIn64BitMode=x64compatible
 ; Admin required: we register a Windows service and write to ProgramData
 PrivilegesRequired=admin
 PrivilegesRequiredOverridesAllowed=
-UninstallDisplayIcon={app}\bin\nssm.exe
-SetupIconFile=
+; Bambuddy branding — bambuddy.ico is a multi-resolution .ico (16/32/48/
+; 64/128/256) generated from frontend/public/img/favicon.png; lives next
+; to this .iss so the SourcePath-relative reference works during compile
+; and the [Files] entry stages it into {app} for Add/Remove Programs.
+SetupIconFile=bambuddy.ico
+UninstallDisplayIcon={app}\bambuddy.ico
 ; Don't allow installing to a network drive — service won't start cleanly
 DisableDirPage=no
 DisableReadyPage=no
@@ -76,6 +80,10 @@ Source: "build\staging\bin\*"; DestDir: "{app}\bin"; Flags: recursesubdirs ignor
 Source: "build\staging\service\*"; DestDir: "{app}\service"; Flags: recursesubdirs ignoreversion
 ; Version stamp
 Source: "build\staging\VERSION"; DestDir: "{app}"; Flags: ignoreversion
+; App icon — used by UninstallDisplayIcon (Add/Remove Programs) and the
+; Start Menu / desktop shortcuts. Lives at the install root so the
+; UninstallDisplayIcon path stays stable when the [Files] tree changes.
+Source: "bambuddy.ico"; DestDir: "{app}"; Flags: ignoreversion
 
 [Dirs]
 ; ProgramData layout — created with permissions LocalSystem can write to
@@ -84,10 +92,10 @@ Name: "{commonappdata}\Bambuddy\data"; Permissions: users-modify
 Name: "{commonappdata}\Bambuddy\logs"; Permissions: users-modify
 
 [Icons]
-Name: "{group}\Open Bambuddy Dashboard"; Filename: "http://localhost:{#DefaultPort}"; IconFilename: "{app}\bin\nssm.exe"
+Name: "{group}\Open Bambuddy Dashboard"; Filename: "http://localhost:{#DefaultPort}"; IconFilename: "{app}\bambuddy.ico"
 Name: "{group}\Bambuddy Logs"; Filename: "{commonappdata}\Bambuddy\logs"
 Name: "{group}\Uninstall Bambuddy"; Filename: "{uninstallexe}"
-Name: "{commondesktop}\Bambuddy"; Filename: "http://localhost:{#DefaultPort}"; IconFilename: "{app}\bin\nssm.exe"; Tasks: desktopicon
+Name: "{commondesktop}\Bambuddy"; Filename: "http://localhost:{#DefaultPort}"; IconFilename: "{app}\bambuddy.ico"; Tasks: desktopicon
 
 [Run]
 ; Register and start the Windows service
diff --git a/installers/windows/build.py b/installers/windows/build.py
index 2e74e7bec..b5b3e3424 100644
--- a/installers/windows/build.py
+++ b/installers/windows/build.py
@@ -271,17 +271,20 @@ def write_version_file() -> None:
     Inno Setup include file so the .iss script can pick it up at compile
     time without a fragile file-read hack.
 
-    Reads from pyproject.toml's [project] version line for the source of
-    truth. Falls back to ``0.0.0+dev`` if not parseable.
+    Reads ``APP_VERSION`` from ``backend/app/core/config.py`` — that's the
+    canonical version used by every other surface in Bambuddy (the FastAPI
+    OpenAPI title, /system info, the support bundle, the spoolbuddy update
+    check). pyproject.toml has its own stale ``version = "0.1.5"`` that
+    isn't kept in sync; reading it would ship a wrong-versioned installer.
     """
     version = "0.0.0+dev"
-    pyproject = REPO_ROOT / "pyproject.toml"
-    if pyproject.exists():
-        for line in pyproject.read_text().splitlines():
-            line = line.strip()
-            if line.startswith("version =") or line.startswith('version="'):
-                # version = "0.1.5"  ->  0.1.5
-                version = line.split("=", 1)[1].strip().strip('"').strip("'")
+    config_py = REPO_ROOT / "backend" / "app" / "core" / "config.py"
+    if config_py.exists():
+        for raw in config_py.read_text().splitlines():
+            stripped = raw.strip()
+            if stripped.startswith("APP_VERSION"):
+                # APP_VERSION = "0.2.5b1"  ->  0.2.5b1
+                version = stripped.split("=", 1)[1].strip().strip('"').strip("'")
                 break
     (STAGING / "VERSION").write_text(version)